‘Romania under tyranny’: EU-sceptic Calin Georgescu Blocked from Participating in Upcoming Elections
The Central Electoral Bureau has barred the politician from participating in the presidential election scheduled for May due to his “anti-democratic” views. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The Central Electoral Bureau has prohibited the politician from standing for the May presidential vote over his “anti-democratic” views.
Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau has blocked Calin Georgescu’s bid to participate in the May presidential election. The right-wing, anti-establishment candidate's unexpected success in the first round of the November vote required a rerun.
The electoral authorities in Bucharest pointed to the outspoken politician's alleged failure to “comply with the rules of the electoral procedure, violating the very obligation... to defend democracy.” More than 1,000 complaints concerning Georgescu’s “extremist” views had previously been filed with the Bureau.
The ruling can be appealed to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours.
Georgescu's reaction
The presidential hopeful, who was seen as a strong candidate for the upcoming election with projections of up to 45% of the vote, expressed on X that the decision is a “direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide.” He asserted that “Europe is now a dictatorship [and] Romania is under tyranny.”
Background and views
Georgescu holds a doctorate in soil science and has spent significant time in Romania's environmental ministry during the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Romania on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program until 2012.
Initially a member of the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, he left the party in 2022 due to internal conflicts. Since then, he has built a prominent online presence across various social media platforms.
Georgescu has consistently criticized NATO and the EU, both of which Romania is a member, and has voiced opposition to Western support for Ukraine among other issues.
Roots of controversy
Contrary to predictions from major pollsters, the right-wing politician achieved an unexpected win in the first round of the country's presidential election in November, securing 23% of the vote. However, the following month, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results, citing intelligence documents that alleged “irregularities” in the campaign and supposed Russian interference, without providing any proof for these allegations.
Subsequent media reports indicated that the alleged “irregularities” were linked to a consulting firm associated with the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party. This firm reportedly attempted to undermine another candidate, inadvertently benefiting Georgescu in the process.
Russia's response to allegations
In response to claims of Russian meddling, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated in late November that “we are not in the habit of interfering in elections in other countries, particularly in Romania, and we do not intend to do so now.” He attributed the allegations to a “basic trend that exists in the West in this regard.”
Georgescu charged
In late February, Georgescu faced brief detention and was indicted on six criminal charges, including alleged “anti-constitutional acts,” “voter bribery,” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.”
The Romanian politician requested US President Donald Trump to “take care about the situation,” claiming he had become a victim of the “deep state” in his home country.
US criticism
While President Trump has yet to make a public comment on the controversy, US Vice President J. D. Vance addressed “ugly, Soviet-era” practices surfacing in Romania aimed at suppressing “alternative viewpoints” during the Munich Security Conference last month. Trump's appointee for government efficiency, Elon Musk, later characterized Georgescu’s arrest as being “messed up.”
Experts' take
In an article published Sunday, Romania’s Adevarul media outlet cited a former constitutional judge who asserted that, according to the country’s laws, “invalidation of the candidacy is justified only in the case of a [candidate’s] final conviction” of a crime.
Commenting on BEC’s decision to bar Georgescu from the presidential race, constitutional law expert Bogdan Iancu noted that Romania’s Constitutional Court must consider an urgent report issued in late January by the Venice Commission, also known as the European Commission for Democracy through Law. The advisory body within the Council of Europe stated that “the cancellation of a part of elections or elections as a whole is justified only under very exceptional circumstances.” It further emphasized that any cancellation of election results due to online campaign irregularities “should precisely indicate the violations and the evidence, and they must not be based solely on classified intelligence... as this would not guarantee the necessary transparency and verifiability.”
The report referenced the Venice Commission’s Code of Good Practice from 2018, which states that “deprivation of the right to vote and to be elected... must be based on mental incapacity or a criminal conviction for a serious offence.”
Arguments against Georgescu
Supporters of Georgescu’s exclusion from the upcoming election have pointed to a precedent from last year when the Constitutional Court barred another right-wing candidate, Diana Sosoaca, from running for president after evaluating her actions and public statements along with their implications.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau has blocked Calin Georgescu’s bid to participate in the May presidential election. The right-wing, anti-establishment candidate's unexpected success in the first round of the November vote required a rerun.
The electoral authorities in Bucharest pointed to the outspoken politician's alleged failure to “comply with the rules of the electoral procedure, violating the very obligation... to defend democracy.” More than 1,000 complaints concerning Georgescu’s “extremist” views had previously been filed with the Bureau.
The ruling can be appealed to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours.
Georgescu's reaction
The presidential hopeful, who was seen as a strong candidate for the upcoming election with projections of up to 45% of the vote, expressed on X that the decision is a “direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide.” He asserted that “Europe is now a dictatorship [and] Romania is under tyranny.”
Background and views
Georgescu holds a doctorate in soil science and has spent significant time in Romania's environmental ministry during the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Romania on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program until 2012.
Initially a member of the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, he left the party in 2022 due to internal conflicts. Since then, he has built a prominent online presence across various social media platforms.
Georgescu has consistently criticized NATO and the EU, both of which Romania is a member, and has voiced opposition to Western support for Ukraine among other issues.
Roots of controversy
Contrary to predictions from major pollsters, the right-wing politician achieved an unexpected win in the first round of the country's presidential election in November, securing 23% of the vote. However, the following month, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results, citing intelligence documents that alleged “irregularities” in the campaign and supposed Russian interference, without providing any proof for these allegations.
Subsequent media reports indicated that the alleged “irregularities” were linked to a consulting firm associated with the ruling pro-Western National Liberal Party. This firm reportedly attempted to undermine another candidate, inadvertently benefiting Georgescu in the process.
Russia's response to allegations
In response to claims of Russian meddling, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated in late November that “we are not in the habit of interfering in elections in other countries, particularly in Romania, and we do not intend to do so now.” He attributed the allegations to a “basic trend that exists in the West in this regard.”
Georgescu charged
In late February, Georgescu faced brief detention and was indicted on six criminal charges, including alleged “anti-constitutional acts,” “voter bribery,” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.”
The Romanian politician requested US President Donald Trump to “take care about the situation,” claiming he had become a victim of the “deep state” in his home country.
US criticism
While President Trump has yet to make a public comment on the controversy, US Vice President J. D. Vance addressed “ugly, Soviet-era” practices surfacing in Romania aimed at suppressing “alternative viewpoints” during the Munich Security Conference last month. Trump's appointee for government efficiency, Elon Musk, later characterized Georgescu’s arrest as being “messed up.”
Experts' take
In an article published Sunday, Romania’s Adevarul media outlet cited a former constitutional judge who asserted that, according to the country’s laws, “invalidation of the candidacy is justified only in the case of a [candidate’s] final conviction” of a crime.
Commenting on BEC’s decision to bar Georgescu from the presidential race, constitutional law expert Bogdan Iancu noted that Romania’s Constitutional Court must consider an urgent report issued in late January by the Venice Commission, also known as the European Commission for Democracy through Law. The advisory body within the Council of Europe stated that “the cancellation of a part of elections or elections as a whole is justified only under very exceptional circumstances.” It further emphasized that any cancellation of election results due to online campaign irregularities “should precisely indicate the violations and the evidence, and they must not be based solely on classified intelligence... as this would not guarantee the necessary transparency and verifiability.”
The report referenced the Venice Commission’s Code of Good Practice from 2018, which states that “deprivation of the right to vote and to be elected... must be based on mental incapacity or a criminal conviction for a serious offence.”
Arguments against Georgescu
Supporters of Georgescu’s exclusion from the upcoming election have pointed to a precedent from last year when the Constitutional Court barred another right-wing candidate, Diana Sosoaca, from running for president after evaluating her actions and public statements along with their implications.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
